Enviro News Asia, Jakarta – Indonesia and Malaysia have reaffirmed their commitment to enhancing cross-border cooperation on wildlife conservation, emphasizing the urgent need to protect endangered species whose habitats span national boundaries.
The statement was delivered by Indonesia’s Minister of Forestry, Raja Juli Antoni, during a bilateral meeting with the Ambassador of Malaysia to Indonesia, Syed Mohamad Hasrin Tengku Hussin, at Manggala Wanabakti in Jakarta.
During the meeting, Minister Raja Juli Antoni conveyed reports from technical authorities in North Kalimantan Province regarding the movement of orangutan populations across administrative borders into Sabah and Sarawak. The Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus), native to the island of Borneo, is classified as Critically Endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. In addition to orangutans, other species such as elephants and proboscis monkeys also inhabit the transboundary landscape.
“Wildlife does not recognize national borders. Their movement is ecological and borderless. Therefore, conservation approaches must also transcend administrative boundaries in order to effectively protect them,” the Minister stated.
He underscored that the forests of Kalimantan represent a single, interconnected ecosystem despite political boundaries. Habitat fragmentation, land-use change, and pressures from illegal activities pose increasing risks to already endangered wildlife populations.
Ambassador Syed Mohamad Hasrin Tengku Hussin welcomed Indonesia’s initiative and expressed Malaysia’s readiness to strengthen technical collaboration between forestry and conservation authorities of both countries. The cooperation is expected to serve as a model for cross-border conservation management in the regional context.
The meeting concluded with a mutual commitment to formalize cooperation mechanisms and develop a joint technical framework in the near future to safeguard shared biodiversity across the island of Borneo. (*)
